Feed-water heater and purifier.



No. 672,497. Patented Apr. 23, I901. E. R. STILWELL. FEED WATER'HEATER AND PURIFIEB.

A ucmmi filed Aug. 6, 1900.;

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(N0 Model.)

Unison No. 672,497. Patented Apr. 23, I90I].

' E. R. STI LWELL.

FEED WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER.

(Application filed Aug. 6, 1900.;

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES MATENT Orricn.

EDWIN R. STIL'WELL, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE STILWELL- BIEROE & SMITH-VAILE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

FEED-WATER HEATER AND PURIFIER.

SBECIIEICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 672,497, dated April 23, 1901.

Application filed August 6, 1900. nerial No. 26,029. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN R. STILWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Feed-WaterHeaters and Purifiers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a feed-water heater and purifier.

The drawings illustrate the invention as adapted to be used with exhaust-steam.

One object of my invention is to provide a suitable device for removing the oil from the exhaust-steam as far as possible before it mixes with and heats the feed-water.

Another object of my invention is to provide a settling chamber underneath the heater-pans of large area, in which a skimmer overflow-box is located in the top of the settling-chamber and adapted to remove the oil and light impurities which are not taken up in the two first steps of the process.

Other features of my invention are more fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvement. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line m 00, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section. Fig. lis a sectional elevation of the receiving chamber. Fig. 5 is an enlarged central vertical section of the overflow and skimmer box.

A represents the combined heater and puri-' the shakes or vibratory jars and in order to supply the steam to the feed-water more uniformly and, further, to separate the oil out of the steam, which has been found in practice extremely difficult, I provide the following instrumentalities.

E represents a shell-shaped baffie'plate, the rear edges or limbs of which are firmly anchored to the partition (1.

0 represents ribs running transversely across the outer face of the shell baffle-plate. The outer wall of the receiving-chamber is semicylindrical, except where it is pierced or provided with a pipe-boss to form the steaminlet.

F represents a wirescreen shell corresponding in shape to the outer wall of the receiving-chamber and pierced with an opening for the steam -inlet. This shell is attached to the wall of the heater in such a manner as to leave a space 5 between the two shells. Instead of this shell being formed of wire screen it may be made of a perforated metallic plate.

The mode of operation of separating out the oil from the steam by this device is as follows: The incoming current of steam impinges upon the front face of the bathe-plate and is thrown back in a whirling motion against the perforated shell F. The oil is taken up on the surface of the screen and is forced through and trickles down and is caught by shelf d and trapped off bysuitable pipe.

It is not absolutely essential in all cases to employ the perforated-screen shell, as the shape and action of the steam upon the baffle-plate throw it against the outer wall of the receiving-chamber, upon which wall the oil will gather to a large extent and be trapped off, as before explained; but the perforated screen is more effective in making the oil separation.

ct represents one or more openings in the partition a, through which steam is admitted across the entire width of the partition at.

G represents a tier of heating-pans. The bottom pan is supported upon a bracket g. The remaining pans seat one upon another,as shown.

Gr represents the feed-water-supply pipe. The water overflows from one pan to the other, takes up the steam, and condenses the same, absorbing the heat therefrom. The insoluble impurities held in solution are deposited in and on the pansafter the usual manner of feed-waterheaters.

H represents a settling-chamber underneath the pans. It is shown of large area, so as to permit of the settling of impuritiesif any are still remaining in the water.

'K represents a skimmer and overflow box. It is provided with an oifset pipe lc,which taps the bottom of the box and leads off through the shell of the heater. This skimmer-box is provided with an arch-cover L, which is to prevent the water from the pans falling in the box.

h represents an opening between the top of the box and the cover for the-water to overflow into the same. The top of this box is placed at or near the normal level of the water-line in the settling-chamber, so that the light impurities floating on the water will be caught by this and taken uptothe'skimmer-box and finally trapped off through the pipe 70.

M represents a float connected by a crankarm m tothe tripping-rod N, the top of which is connected to a valve-arm n for opening and closing the valve to control the supply of the feed-water pipe.

0 represents blow-oft pipesat the bottom of the settling-chamber.

P represents a filter-chamber into which the waterpasses upwardly through the grating P.

Q represents the strainer separating the filter-chamber from the clear-water well R. The filter-chamber is provided with suitable filtering material.

S represents an oil-trap located in the chamber B under the baffie plate, into which the oil is received when separated out from the steam by the method heretofore described.

T represents a pipe for trapping ofi the oil.

t represents a try-cock.

It will be observed that the heating-chamber, into which the steam is admitted, is provided with curved plates, which materially contract the area of the chamber, and the passages for the steam are quite indirect and limited in area as compared with the area of the heating-chamber. The result of this construction is that the steam cannot escape in a continuous current, but is made to evolute in -its passage through the chamber, owing to the curved surfaces and indirect outlines, thereby causing the steam to impinge upon the baffle-plate and upon the screen-surface. This mode of operation is very essential, be-

cause it is difficult to separate out the fine particles of oil from the steam, which are suspended in a heated condition; but owing to the obstructed or contracted passage-way through the chamber and the surfaces of the chamber itself a whirling motion of the steam is produced, which I have found by experience eifects almost a complete separation of the oil from the steama result which I believe I am the first to accomplish practically and efficiently.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a feed-water heater and purifier, a heater-tank, a steam-inlet at one side thereof, a steam-outlet leading from the tank, a water-inlet, a tier of overflow-pans located under said Water-inlet in the upper portion of said tank, a vertical support at one side of the tank, a tier of baffle-irons attached to said support, the said steam inlet, baffleirons, and overflow-pans being substantially in horizontal line, substantially as specified.

2. In a.feed wate'nheater and purifier, the combination of a tank, a steam-inlet pipe at one side, a steam-outlet :pipe, a water-inlet pipe, a tier of overflow-pans located under said water-inlet in the upperportion of said tank,.a vertical partition at one side of said tank, a tier of baflie-irons secured to said partition opposite the said steam inlet, and steam-passages through said partition, the said pans, irons and steam-passages being substantiallyin horizontal line-with the said steam-inlet, substantially as specified.

3. In afeed-water heater and purifier, the combination of a tank, a steam-inlet in the side thereof, a steam-outlet, aWater-supply pipe, a tier of overflow-pans under said water-inlet in the upper portion of the tank, a vertical partition at one side of the tank, a

tier of baffle-irons secured to said partition 7 In testimony whereof I havehereunto'set -my hand.

EDWIN R.- STILWELL. Witnesses:

OLIVER B. KAISER, GEORGE S. WALTER. 

